Today, when I went in to write my German homework in my agenda book, I didn't have any room. There was not one line free on the entire page. From reminders about my 50-verb Spanish test tomorrow to the Otto Von Bismarck presentation I have to have done by Thursday, everything is full.
I guess I was spoiled by the first semester. I was trying hard to accustom myself to a new language and culture and consequently school became less paramount in terms of my priorities. Now that I am proficient enough in German to participate as a normal student in subjects from History to Art, I finally realize how much of a work load we are given. I have to work twice as hard as normal students as it's enough of a struggle to understand and to translate my thoughts. Even writing in English has become difficult now. I'm stuck between the two languages!
Already dealing with the typical stresses of Junior year, i.e. SATs, college searches, and maintaining a good GPA, I have to ignore the fact that my High School's College Guidance office is thousands of miles away, along with my parents, who normally field my initial questions. However, I know that this exchange is a learning experience. Both my struggles and successes will shape me as a person and prepare me for the real world. Therefore, I'm taking this extreme amount of work as a lesson in time management, and trying not to pull my hair out over it.
